3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
I LOVE YOU AND ONLY YOU
Antonio
Five months later...
The red lights of the alarm clock mocked me in the darkness of my bedroom. “Another sleepless night,” I mumbled, kicking my sheets off in frustration.
As the early morning hours settled in, I tossed and turned, unable to find any rest. I grabbed my cellphone from the nightstand and dialed the one person who could soothe my mind long enough for me to drift off to sleep, at least for a few hours. As soon as the second ring ended, her smooth voice resonated in my ears.
“Can’t sleep?”
“No. It’s getting worse.” I couldn’t help but groan as I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. “When are you coming home?”
Her contagious giggle sounded over the line, instantly putting a smile on my face. Never in my life would I have thought I would ever say this about a woman, but I missed her. It had been five months since we’d met that day at my sister’s home, and I could say without a doubt it was the best day of my life. My life changed that day.
“Antonio, I’ve only been gone for two days.”
“I know, Bella. Two long fucking days. You know I can only sleep if you’re beside me.” In my bedroom, I paced in front of the windows, gazing at the endless sea of lights. “I need to have you in my arms, Aaliyah.”
“I know, Antonio. I want to be in your arms too. This should be a quick trip,” she said with sadness in her voice. “In a few minutes I’ll land. The meeting shouldn’t take too long, and I’ll be back in your arms before tomorrow night.”
I let out a groan. “That’s too long.”
“You sound like a big baby.”
When she laughed, the hint of sadness disappeared from her voice, exactly as I had hoped. I really missed her, but I didn’t want to cause her to feel unhappy. I knew she missed me just as much. She had a job to do for Abasi and taking business trips would always be a part of it.
“How’s that situation going with your family?” she asked. “Are they still trying to marry you off?”
It bothered me when she brought this up. It was a sore spot for both of us, but I understood her need to be reassured that we were together no matter what.
Since Aaliyah and I had been dating, I kept nothing from her. I informed her of what my parents were doing. But she was in a difficult situation too. While we both wanted to be in each other’s lives and even discussed marriage, Abasi was a bridge she wasn’t ready to cross yet. And I understood, because my parents were a hurdle, I wasn’t ready to jump either.
“ Bella , you know I have to keep up appearances, just like you. There’s nothing going to come from it. The women my parents are throwing at me, don’t compare to you and never will. I love you and only you.”
“I know.” A sigh of frustration or exhaustion escaped her. “And I love you too, but what if they leave you no choice? What if they make you choose someone else, like your father had too?”
The vulnerability in her voice was crippling. Aaliyah was a strong woman, one of the strongest women I knew. To be a part of this world she had to be. She dealt with murderers and warlords. All types of criminals. Dangers surrounded her daily, and being Abasi’s daughter, placed a huge target on her back. Many underestimated the strength she possessed, but when it came to me, she showed me a different side. A softer side.
“I’d choose you without a doubt, Bella. Always. But it’s not going to come to me having to choose between you and the famiglia. When I tell my parents about us, there’ll be no more of these setups. And when you tell Abasi, we can move forward with our lives together.”
The voice of the pilot reverberated through the receiver.
“I’m about to touch down,” she announced, a hint of sorrow returning to her tone. The situation was painful for both of us. “I will call you once I’m in the air again.”
“Remember, Bella , I love you. No matter what, never forget that. We’ll get through this together.”
“I know. I love you too, Antonio.”
As soon as she hung up, I anxiously ran my fingers through my hair, pulling at the dark strands. “This is fucking ridiculous. I’ve found the woman I want, and I can’t scream it to the world. I’m tired of her having to question my devotion to her.”
I pulled up on my contact list the only other person who knew about our relationship. With everything going on and us having to hide it from everyone, I needed someone to vent to, especially when she questioned whether our relationship would survive the shit my parents were putting me through.
“Hey bro, what’s up? Is everything all right?”
“Are you busy?” I heard the sound of fabric and a woman’s voice on the other end of the line. “Awe man, I’m sorry. We’ll talk later today. I couldn’t sleep and needed to vent. You go back to your company.”
“Tony, she’s not important.” Fuck you Alessandro filtered through the receiver, but my brother didn’t comment on it. “What’s up? I thought you weren’t battling the insomnia anymore?”
“Only when Aaliyah’s in town. She’s been gone for a couple of days, and I’ve gotten maybe a total of four hours of sleep.” I scrubbed my hand down my face, exhaustion setting in. “I’ve got to get Mama and Papa to back off with this marriage shit. Aaliyah’s the woman for me and putting on this fucking show is causing problems. She’s questioning whether I would choose the family or her.”
“And I don’t blame her, Tony,” Alessandro said. “I don’t know why you just won’t tell Papa about her. He’s been there. He’ll understand. And Mama will go along with whatever he says, and if she doesn’t, fuck her.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“It is that easy. You’re a grown ass man. Man the fuck up and say to hell with tradition. It’s not like you need to head the family. If Papa doesn’t accept Aaliyah, which I doubt he would do some shit like that, step down. You’ve got your own business. You’re a wealthy man in your own right. You need nothing from the famiglia.”
“It’s not about the money. Being the head has never been about money for me. This is our family’s legacy. It’s up to me to protect it once Papa steps down. I’m the next capo di tutti capi . ” Boss of Bosses.
“Well, it sounds like you’ve made your decision. If being the Boss of Bosses is that important, choose like Papa did and be stuck with a woman you despise.”
“I just want my woman, and our family’s legacy!” I shouted, frustration setting in. “I don’t want to have to choose. I shouldn’t have too!”
“Aaliyah doesn’t deserve to be dragged along if you aren’t committed to her, Tony. She already had to put up with that shit with Marisol even though it wasn’t true. And right now, to me it doesn’t sound like you’re in it with her.”
“That’s not true,” I gritted out. “I am committed to her.”
“You know me, bro. I call it like I see it. And she sure as hell doesn’t deserve to be kept away from the family, like your dirty little secret. She’s too good of a woman to be your fucking mistress.”
“I would never treat her like a mistress!” I shouted, insulted my brother, who knew me better than anyone would say I’d treat the woman I loved with such disrespect, like a side piece. “You know good and damn well I wouldn’t do some shit like that to her. She would never be my mistress. I love her!”
“Then fucking act like it! And do right by her!” He sighed. “Look, Tony, don’t lose her because of some bullshit. Trust me, it’s better to have the woman you love in your life than being on the sidelines watching her move on without you.”
“Are we talking about me now, or you?” Silence echoed from the other end. “Little brother, you know you can talk to me. I know something’s up. Does it have anything to do with Laney?”
“We’ll talk about it some other time,” he said, ignoring my question. “Don’t let this shit bite you in the ass and lose the best thing that’s happened to you. Stop entertaining our parents with this arranged marriage bullshit and tell them about the woman you actually want to be with before it’s too late. I’ve got to get back to my company, but I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Before I could reply, he hung up the phone. I tried calling him back, but each call was sent directly to his voicemail. “Shit!”
I tossed the phone on the nightstand after his incoming text came through letting me know he was fine, and he would talk to me once he got back into town. He had been keeping something from me for months, but I’d been so immersed in what was going on in my life I hadn’t noticed my brother was dealing with his own shit.
“I’ll call Chantal, later,” I mumbled to the empty room. “Maybe she knows what’s going on with him.”
The red lights flashed on the alarm. Only an hour had passed since the last time I looked.
“Might as well get some work done if I can’t get any fucking sleep.”
Insomnia had plagued me since I became a “made man.” When I was younger, I accompanied my father to meetings with the other families, clients, and even some executions. Witnessing his power and brutality never negatively affected me. We used the time to prepare me to take his place, also to understand the workings of our international organization. But when I took the Oath of Omerta and rose through the ranks by doing what soldiers do, including taking lives, sleep began to elude me the more power I gained.
The death of some low-level rival affected me in ways I never expected. I hadn’t regretted what I’d done because it had to happen. Nonetheless, I lived with the memory of that man’s death. No others, just his.
The nightmares came first. His eyes begged me to spare his life even in death. Then insomnia. Now, I was no longer plagued by nightmares because I never get enough sleep to dream. I rarely get a couple hours of sleep at a time. That was until Aaliyah started staying over at my place. She provided me with what even sleeping pills couldn’t. Blissful, restful sleep. Somehow, she allowed me to obtain some semblance of peace in an uncertain life.
I descended the metal stairs to the lower level of my condo and settled into my home office desk. My father’s handwritten note made me groan. I rested my bare feet on my oak desk and opened the file that a soldier had delivered, only to be greeted by another potential marriage candidate. One I knew would be greatly beneficial to the Rizzo family. More beneficial than any of my parents’ previous choices.
I grabbed the picture of Francesca Lombardo, Marco Lombardo’s daughter. If we merged our families, we would have access to some of the Scuderi organization’s territory, gaining us even more than what we possess now. On the outside it was a win-win situation. But on the inside my heart screamed at me to let all this shit go for the love of my life.
From the note my father left with the file, Marco approached him with the idea. I’d only been around Francesca a few times since we were children. She was a very beautiful Italian woman, around my age. The perfect woman the Families expected to become a Donna. Long black hair, olive complexion, and curves to match her sexy as sin voice, but she wasn’t who I wanted.
A few months ago, I would’ve jumped at the chance with Francesca. Not because she was beautiful. Beautiful women were not in short supply. However, the amount of territory we’d acquire was exponential and would benefit the arms trafficking part of the organization.
I understood why my father believed a union between me and Francesca was the best option. But I already found the woman who would be my Donna. A stunning African beauty, that no one could match, not even Francesca. Now it was time everyone else knew about her. No amount of territory would make me step away from Aaliyah.
I pondered the options for discussing my relationship with Aaliyah with my parents, after closing the file. I pulled the small velvet box from the top desk drawer then lifted the lid. The family jeweler crafted the engagement ring a month ago. After looking at it, I smiled, closed it, then placed it back in the drawer. Aaliyah would be my wife it was just a matter of when.
“They need to know,” I said to the empty room. “I can’t put Aaliyah through this matchmaking bullshit any longer.”
With the choice made, I felt a sense of relief. I’d meet my parents in a few hours for our weekly breakfast and tell them then. My father would be happy I was finally making a decision no matter who the woman was. My mother was a different beast. I’d been witness to her mistreatment of my sister. I could only imagine her reaction to Aaliyah. But I didn’t care. I lost all the love and respect for her when she tried to harm my sister.
Exhaustion finally settling in, I abandoned my office for the comforts of my bedroom. This time when I pulled the sheets back, I welcomed sleep. In a few hours I could make it official with the love of my life. After informing my parents of my intentions, I’d finally propose to the woman who stole my heart.